'Anyway, it is not easy to win back any league, especially in the Premier League.'

With Mancini's City team trailing rivals United by 15 points in the Barclays Premier League, it seems that the Italian only has the FA Cup left if he wants to emerge from this season with any credit at all.

Soriano's appointment, followed by the arrival of fellow Spaniard Txiki Begiristain as sporting director, has prompted much discussion about Mancini's future, but in an interview with Gazzetta dello Sport, Soriano appeared to lift some that pressure.

Low profile: Ferran Soriano became City's new chairman in August after previously working at Barcelona

Soriano also spoke of his desire to turn City in to a self-sustaining club after the extravagant spending of the last four-and-a-half years.

He added: "My way of football? One year you can win with luck, but in the long term, you need planning and investments to reach the final of the Champions League.

'In 2003 we did a study at Barcelona. For each player landed in the first team from the 'cantera' (youth academy) there was an average cost of £2m, which is nothing if you think of the current costs.